Poll

Which decade produced the best 5-man unit ever?

2010's
2000's
1990's
1980's
1970's
1960's
1950's

Author Topic: NBA Decades Battle!  (Read 7643 times)

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Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #15 on: July 29, 2015, 04:14:27 PM »

Offline jpotter33

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Well see if you let players be in more than one decade then I think the 80's has it hands down due to the addition of Jordan. However, if you follow the rules above and only let a player represent one decade, then it becomes more difficult, because Jordan obviously belongs in the 90's over the 80's.

The same issue comes up with Kareem, because do you count him for the 70's or 80's? He won most of his titles in the 80's, but he won more individual accolades in the 70's.

It's an inherently difficult determination to make.

There's a lot of players that deserve credit for multiple decades and are hard to place. While guys like Magic and Bird are pretty much known for one decade, how do you place guys like: Drexler, Barkley, Jordan, Kareem, Dr. J, etc..?
It's difficult for me to place guys like that but if you wanna put Jordan and Kareem in the 80s you can make a lineup of:

Kareem
Bird
Wilkins
Jordan
Magic

I'd like to see any other decades team try to top that.

Yeah, like I said I don't think you could beat an 80's team by putting Jordan and Kareem in there, though a 2000's could be tough by adding Lebron in there: Nash, Bryant, James, Duncan/KG, O'neal. That lineup is arguably best all-time, too, though Nash is a HUGE weak link defensively.

I gotta go with Jason Kidd over Steve Nash. I think Kidd was the best PG of the decade anyway. But also, I think Nash needs his whole team to revolve around him to play at his peak. Kidd is a much better fit alongside a star-studded lineup like this.

I feel unsure about the big man combination.

Duncan & Shaq vs KG & Shaq vs KG & Duncan.

I think KG would play better alongside Shaq than Duncan would. Playing alongside Shaq would limit Duncan's post game and force to spend vast majority of his time in the high post where KG is the superior player. So I think KG works better with Shaq than Duncan would.

A Duncan & Garnett tandem would be beautiful too though. Two highly skilled versatile big men. I can't help but think they would get more out of their PG, SG and SF than a Shaq-centric offense would. Clearly superior defensive duo also. Create more space for Kobe and Pierce to play their best game.

I think it'd depend on matchup. For example, I like Shaq versus a leaner Center who he could dominate, but if we're talking someone like Wilt or Mchale or something like that, I'd like a KG or Duncan type that can stretch the floor more to get those guys out of the middle.

Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of those combinations.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #16 on: July 29, 2015, 04:19:54 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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How to account for rule changes across decades?

You mean like hand-check defense rules pre-Jordan versus post-Jordan?

There's turning out to be many more variables than I originally perceived  :( lol

Can we use the 50s/60s conditioning methods where they'd smoke cigarettes at halftime & work as insurance salesmen in the offseason too?  ;)

Yeah exactly. We take the part time job nature of the NBA (I once had a prof. who turned down an NBA gig in those days because being a teacher paid better than being a pro basketball player), the drug use of the 70's, the facial hair decisions of the 80's, the advent of extracurricular moneymaking opportunities of the 90's... and Twitter.

What could go wrong?
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Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #17 on: July 29, 2015, 04:20:01 PM »

Offline Who

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2010s

C: Dwight Howard
F: LeBron James
F: Kevin Durant
G: Dwyane Wade
G: Steph Curry

I am going to go small with the 2010s team. One traditional big man. Two combo forwards and a pair of combo guards. I think Curry's shooting (ditto Durant) makes him a lethal fit alongside playmakers like D-Wade and LeBron. I think the team is best off going small to create space for ball-handling wings like Wade and LeBron. Dwight Howard had great seasons in 2010 and 2011. I thought Dwight (or Dirk) should have been MVP that year instead of D-Rose. Dwight anchors the team with defense & rebounding.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #18 on: July 29, 2015, 04:27:48 PM »

Offline Donoghus

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2010s

C: Dwight Howard
F: LeBron James
F: Kevin Durant
G: Dwyane Wade
G: Steph Curry

I am going to go small with the 2010s team. One traditional big man. Two combo forwards and a pair of combo guards. I think Curry's shooting (ditto Durant) makes him a lethal fit alongside playmakers like D-Wade and LeBron. I think the team is best off going small to create space for ball-handling wings like Wade and LeBron. Dwight Howard had great seasons in 2010 and 2011. I thought Dwight (or Dirk) should have been MVP that year instead of D-Rose. Dwight anchors the team with defense & rebounding.

I'd seriously consider already penciling in Davis over Howard.   And if not now, probably no later than 2017 for the 2010s team.


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Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #19 on: July 29, 2015, 04:29:34 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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That's already bending the rules in the OP there Belichick.
At least a goldfish with a Lincoln Log on its back goin' across your floor to your sock drawer has a miraculous connotation to it.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #20 on: July 29, 2015, 04:33:25 PM »

Offline Donoghus

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That's already bending the rules in the OP there Belichick.

That's why I prefaced with the "seriously already consider" thing.  Gets around that rule in my head.  ;)


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Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #21 on: July 29, 2015, 04:35:30 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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We're going to need all of your PM's in the last six month period and a spreadsheet is not acceptable.
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Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #22 on: July 29, 2015, 04:35:57 PM »

Offline Who

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I thought Charles Barkley had his best seasons of his career back in Philadelphia in the late 80s early 90s rather than in Phoenix when he won the MVP and made the Finals. From 87-91. Unsure which decade to put him in. That 1990 team was Philly's best team with Barkley at his peak which is just inside the 90s.

I take Karl Malone over Barkley for the 90s.

Tough choice between McHale and Barkley for the 80s. McHale's peak was so short. Still, I think it's McHale due to the defensive disparity.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #23 on: July 29, 2015, 04:41:46 PM »

Offline Who

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1980s

C: Moses Malone
F: Kevin McHale
F: Larry Bird
G: Sidney Moncrief
G: Magic Johnson

I am going to put Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1970s because he was the best player in the league over that decade. He had the strongest years of his career in that decade. But only won 1 of his 6 titles then.

That places Moses Malone at center as the only other standout center of that decade (standout as in discussed as top 5 or even top 10 center all time from the 80s). I am going to go with Kevin McHale at PF for his two-way game. The defensive length and versatility. The unstoppable post game. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the two best players of the decade and both heavily involved in the discussions as the greatest player of All-Time. Sidney Moncrief is the my starting two guard. A terrific defender & rebounder. Can cover the tougher guard assignment while Magic takes the easier one. A strong outside shooter who can space the floor. Can handle the ball & pass. Does a bit of everything. Great glue guy for this 1980s team to make everything work better around him to finish off the lineup.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #24 on: July 29, 2015, 04:52:07 PM »

Offline D.o.s.

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For the 70's

C: Kareem
PF: Cowens
SF: Dr. J
SG: Rick Barry
PG: Clyde

or

C: Walton
PF: Wilt (cheating? You can put Hondo here if you think so)
SF: George Gervin
SG: Maravich
PG: Tiny Archibald

Most underrated decade in the history of the NBA.
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Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #25 on: July 29, 2015, 05:34:25 PM »

Offline jpotter33

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That's already bending the rules in the OP there Belichick.

Haha TP. That one gave me a chuckle.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #26 on: July 30, 2015, 10:21:18 PM »

Offline BballTim

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How to account for rule changes across decades?

You mean like hand-check defense rules pre-Jordan versus post-Jordan?

There's turning out to be many more variables than I originally perceived  :( lol

Can we use the 50s/60s conditioning methods where they'd smoke cigarettes at halftime?  ;)

  Worked for Dino.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #27 on: July 30, 2015, 10:31:35 PM »

Offline Eja117

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I just think Magic and Larry together in their prime....no decade would know what was happening or what hit them. Add Doctor J and Kareem and McHale....yeah. 

Total synergy.

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #28 on: July 30, 2015, 10:38:13 PM »

Offline Eja117

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Hey the 2000s players have to play with actual officiating, right? None of this if someone blows on you it's a foul stuff, right?  And Lebron can't do his palming thing every two seconds, right? And Joey Crawford isn't going to allow Shaq and Kobe to bludgeon people, and then give them a rose, right?

Re: NBA Decades Battle!
« Reply #29 on: July 30, 2015, 11:12:03 PM »

Offline jpotter33

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Hey the 2000s players have to play with actual officiating, right? None of this if someone blows on you it's a foul stuff, right?  And Lebron can't do his palming thing every two seconds, right? And Joey Crawford isn't going to allow Shaq and Kobe to bludgeon people, and then give them a rose, right?

You know, that is a legitimate concern, because players of today's game would be shell-shocked by the physicality of the game in the 80's and even the 90's.